Slack Rca Summary

Slack RCA Summary

Post formatted incident RCA summaries to a Slack channel.

Prerequisites

Before executing this skill, ensure:

1. The RCA analysis has been completed and findings are available in context
2. The Slack connection is configured and the bot has access to {{config.channel_name}}
3. The bot has permission to post messages in the target channel

Workflow

Step 1: Resolve the Channel

Look up the channel {{config.channel_name}} to get its ID. Strip the # prefix if present.

const channelName = '{{config.channel_name}}'.replace(/^#/, '');
const channelList = await listConversations({ types: 'public_channel,private_channel', limit: 200 });
const channel = channelList.channels.find(c => c.name === channelName);
const channelId = channel.id;

If the channel is not found, report the error and list available channels as suggestions.

Step 2: Extract RCA Information

From the RCA context, extract:

Step 3: Format the Slack Message

Build the message using Slack's mrkdwn format. Keep it concise and scannable.

:rotating_light: *Incident Report: {incident_title}*

*Severity:* {severity}  |  *Status:* {status}  |  *Duration:* {duration}

---

*Root Cause*
{1-2 sentence root cause explanation}

*Impact*
{scope of impact: users affected, services degraded, SLA implications}

*Resolution*
{what was done to resolve the incident}

---

*Timeline*
- {time_1}: {event_detected}
- {time_2}: {event_mitigated}
- {time_3}: {event_resolved}

*Action Items*
1. {action_item_1} - Owner: {owner_1}
2. {action_item_2} - Owner: {owner_2}
3. {action_item_3} - Owner: {owner_3}

---

:page_facing_up: Full report: {link_to_detailed_report_if_available}

Step 4: Post to Slack

await postMessage({
  channel: channelId,
  text: formattedMessage
});

Step 5: Thread Follow-up (Optional)

If there is extensive supporting evidence or detailed technical analysis, post it as a thread reply to keep the main channel clean:

const mainMessage = await postMessage({
  channel: channelId,
  text: summaryMessage
});

await postMessage({
  channel: channelId,
  thread_ts: mainMessage.ts,
  text: detailedTechnicalAnalysis
});

Output

After successful posting, report:

1. Confirmation that the message was posted to {{config.channel_name}}
2. A brief note on what was included in the summary
3. Any RCA fields that were unavailable and omitted

Formatting Rules

• Use Slack's mrkdwn syntax: *bold*, _italic_, `code`
• Use --- for horizontal dividers between sections
• Use numbered lists for action items (priority order)
• Use bullet lists for timeline events
• Keep the main message under 3000 characters for readability
• Use emoji sparingly: :rotating_light: for header, :page_facing_up: for report link
• Do not use @here or @channel mentions unless explicitly instructed

Severity Formatting

Apply visual indicators based on severity:

Error Handling

Content Guidelines

• Lead with severity and status for immediate context
• Keep root cause explanation non-technical enough for a mixed audience
• Action items should be specific and assigned to owners
• Include a link to the full incident report if one was created (e.g., Confluence page)
• Timestamp all timeline events in UTC
• Do not include raw logs or stack traces in the main message (use thread replies)

Counter-Rationalizations